Carla Beck’s Saskatchewan NDP introduces 5 bills to clean up politics

REGINA - Today, Official Opposition Ethics and Democracy Critic Meara Conway introduced five private member’s bills aimed at cleaning up politics and ensuring elected leaders work for the people, not for lobbyists and big-money donors. Experts call Saskatchewan the “wild west” of government transparency and campaign finance laws.

“In Saskatchewan, there’s no cap on donations, corporate and union donations flow freely, and the Sask. Party even allows political donations from outside Canada,” said Official Opposition Leader Carla Beck. “Saskatchewan people deserve a government that works for them.”

After question period, Conway tabled the following bills:

Bill No. 617 — The Members’ Conflict of Interest Amendment Act will, if passed, strengthen the Act and make provincial politicians disclose the business interests of their spouses and relatives that are held in private companies and/or holding companies.

Bill No. 618 — The Lobbyists Transparency Amendment Act will, if passed, close lobbying loopholes and require lobbyists to file monthly activity logs containing information about the dates, participants, particulars, and methods of communication for all lobbying activity, as well as monetary political contributions made within the month.

Bill No. 619 — The Election (Fairness and Accountability) Amendment Act will, if passed, ban out-of-province, corporate, and union donations to Saskatchewan political parties and set a yearly total donation limit of $1,275 for Saskatchewan residents.

Bill No. 620 — The Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act Amendment Act will, if passed, make the Saskatchewan government more transparent, including by speeding up and making FOI requests financially accessible, and strengthening the powers of the Privacy Commissioner to force public bodies to release documents.

Bill No. 621 — The Child and Family Services (Betty’s Law) Amendment Act will, if passed, require the Minister responsible to preserve all records relating to Indigenous children in residential schools, and make these records more accessible for public inquiries relating to the child’s safety, truth and reconciliation, and the pursuit of answers about deceased relatives in care or Indigenous people’s grievances.

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